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Press ReleasesOn a Road Trip Through Thailand, Vietnamese Journalists Explore the "Human Face" of AIDS
(July 29, 2008) Seven Vietnamese journalists have been inspired to explore new dimensions of the “human face” of HIV/AIDS after visiting Thailand on an intensive study tour. Organized and led by Internews Europe, the six-day trip introduced print and broadcast journalists to programs that have successfully reduced stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in Thailand. “Learning about Thailand’s experiences made us realize that there are many things we can do and need to do if we want to speed up the progress in HIV prevention in our country,” said one of journalists who joined the study tour. Vietnam has recently launched a national two-year pilot program on methadone treatment, and the tour included an examination of Thailand’s successes and challenges in this area. The journalists met with officials and medical staff at a government drug rehabilitation clinic and a local public hospital, and with NGO staff working with current and former intravenous drug users, to discuss the pros and cons of methadone treatment. They also visited a drop-in center for one-on-one interviews with members there. Another trip highlight was a meeting with a former senator and Thailand’s leading social and HIV/AIDS activist, Jon Ungpakorn, whose pioneering work on the rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV) helped achieve the introduction of legislation and special medical services for them. A micro-credit project called the Positive Partnership Program (PPP), under which one HIV-positive person pairs up with an HIV-negative person to get a small loan for a joint business, also generated great enthusiasm from the participants. “It was very, very impressive. I think we need to implement a lot of PPPs in Vietnam. It was amazing to see the changes in people’s lives after they took the loan. I really want to write about them,” a radio journalist said. The tour was a significant eye-opener for the Vietnamese media, in light of the Vietnamese government’s promulgation of a new “AIDS law” on preventive and discrimination-reducing measures in 2006. In an effort to reduce fear and discrimination around HIV, the Vietnamese media have gradually been able to cover more stories on sensitive or taboo issues (sex work, drug use, and other sexual behaviours) since the new policy came into effect. According to the participants, face-to-face meetings with PLHIV were the most interesting part of the trip. They saw the PPP micro-credit program as a possible model for Vietnam’s efforts to help PLHIV stand on their own feet and regain their dignity. According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Culture, the journalists have so far produced 24 stories, of which 17 have been published. The stories ranged from a long series to in-depth analytical pieces and radio/TV packages that put a “human face” on HIV/AIDS. By learning about Thailand’s fight against HIV/AIDS, audiences in Vietnam will learn that in order to solve HIV-related problems, they have to learn to understand HIV and accept PLHIV without discrimination and stigma, he added. The trip was a collaboration between Internews Europe, the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), and the Ministry for Information and Culture (MoIC). Internews’ Turnaround Time project assists Mekong region journalists to strengthen and increase their reporting on HIV/AIDS through workshops that encourage active participation and focus on practical approaches. The project also provides post-training support and mentoring to journalists working on stories for publication or broadcast. The program is supported by a grant from the UK Department for International Development (DFID). |
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